Su Yurou’s mind raced, quickly convincing herself that she had seen through Yun Qingqing’s scheme, and she immediately made an accusation.
She knew better than anyone how much the Crown Prince despised Yun Qingqing, and she fully expected him to speak up for her.
Xiao Zirui’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Although the Regent King had been paralyzed and blind for years, his influence still loomed large, and his reputation as the God of War ran deep in the hearts of the people. With his own position as Crown Prince still unstable, how could he afford to offend the Regent at such a critical moment?
Looking at Su Yurou’s face, swollen almost to the point of resembling a pig’s head, his anger only grew. He rushed forward and slapped her!
“Shut your mouth!”
Su Yurou was stunned by the slap.
Xiao Zirui pointed at her nose and scolded:
“What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever propose to the Yun Estate? Those betrothal gifts were borrowed by my royal uncle to propose to my royal aunt-in-law! How dare you spout such lies here? Apologize to my royal aunt-in-law at once!”
“Wh-what… So that’s how it was… How could this be!”
Su Yurou was utterly dumbfounded.
That ugly wretch, whom the Crown Prince couldn’t even bear to look at, had somehow become her royal aunt-in-law in the blink of an eye!
Just then, the Empress spoke up:
“If that is the case, then Su Yurou is indeed at fault. To accuse the Princess Consort of the Prince Regent without understanding the circumstances is unacceptable. She should apologize properly.”
Su Yurou, her swollen face pale, was filled with reluctance but had no choice. Clenching her palms tightly, she suppressed her hatred and whispered softly:
“Today’s matter was my fault. I apologize to you…”
Yun Qingqing cast a cold glance at her:
“Apologizing to an elder so lightly—is this the fine upbringing of the Su family?”
Su Yurou’s face burned with shame. Tears welled in her eyes as she wore an expression of being wronged, biting her lip hard.
Prime Minister Su had initially intended to plead for his daughter, but when he saw the Regent King slam his cup down heavily with a “clang” and let out a cold snort, his eyelids twitched.
He immediately stepped forward and kicked Su Yurou in the calf, angrily shouting:
“Kneel down and kowtow to your royal aunt-in-law to beg for forgiveness!”
Su Yurou was kicked to the ground with a “thud.” She looked at the Prime Minister in disbelief, only to hear him lower his voice and say:
“If you offend the Regent King, do you want to bring ruin upon our entire family?”
Su Yurou’s heart tightened. No longer caring about anything else, she gritted her teeth and kowtowed:
“I was wrong! Royal Aunt-in-Law, please be magnanimous and forgive me this once!”
Yun Qingqing waved her hand with a smile:
“Now that’s more like a well-behaved niece. Today, your royal aunt-in-law has both broken off an engagement and gotten engaged—a double blessing! I’m in a good mood, so I’ll be magnanimous and forgive you this once.”
Su Yurou nearly choked on her anger, her nails digging so deeply into her palms they almost drew blood.
Xiao Changheng listened to the young girl’s words, clearly gloating over her victory, and lowered his gaze. He took a slow, deliberate sip of tea to hide the corners of his mouth, which he couldn’t suppress from curling upward.
Xiao Zirui was so furious his liver ached. How could this woman, whom he had always looked down upon, seem so happy now that the engagement was broken off?
Did she think this would make him change his mind and look at her again? What a joke!
Clenching his fist, he stepped forward and said:
“Father, today I have another request. I hope Your Majesty will grant me and Su Yurou a marriage decree!”
The Emperor sighed wearily and nodded:
“Very well. Originally, today was meant to be your engagement… Ahem… Since there have been some twists and turns, I shall take it upon myself to grant you a marriage decree.”
He pondered for a moment and added:
“Let’s also set the wedding date. How about the eighth day of the next month for the grand ceremony?”
The father and daughter of the Su family showed joyful expressions, quickly knelt to express their gratitude, and at the same time felt a great sense of relief in their hearts—they had finally managed to keep the Crown Princess position from slipping away.
Xiao Zirui expressed his thanks but did not leave immediately.
With a meaningful glance at Yun Qingqing, he turned respectfully to Xiao Changheng and said:
“On the eighth day of next month is my grand wedding. The Crown Prince’s Residence eagerly awaits the arrival of my royal uncle and aunt!”
Yun Qingqing watched as Su Yurou lowered her head to conceal her triumphant expression, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
Hah, what good intentions could this scumbag possibly have, deliberately inviting his ex-girlfriend to his wedding!
She immediately spread her hands and said:
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend to congratulate the Crown Prince. I also think the eighth day of next month is an auspicious day and plan to set my wedding date for that day!”
Xiao Zirui’s expression froze:
“But I heard that my royal uncle intended to welcome my aunt into the residence tomorrow?”
“You said it yourself—my prince was only considering it. It hasn’t been finalized yet, has it?” Yun Qingqing rolled her eyes at him, then turned with a smile to look at Xiao Changheng:
“Your Highness, since His Majesty said the eighth day of next month is an auspicious day, it must be true. How about we set our wedding for that day?”
Xiao Zirui and the Su family members all changed their expressions.
What a joke! The Crown Prince’s wedding is a grand event of immense importance, where all civil and military officials of the court are expected to attend!
But if the Regent King also holds his wedding on the same day, which official in the entire court would dare not attend? The Crown Prince’s Residence would undoubtedly be left in the cold!
Xiao Zirui was so furious he almost cursed Yun Qingqing for deliberately causing trouble, but he restrained himself.
He thought bitterly to himself, “This Yun Qingqing is utterly foolish, actually believing she can influence the Regent King’s decisions. Little does she know that such behavior will only make him despise her!
I don’t need to do anything—just wait for the Regent King to scold her for being unreasonable!”